Marine biologists from the National Institute of Oceanography in Taiwan have identified a new species of crab that, due to its shape and red shell with white dots, resembles a strawberry.
Professor Ho Ping-ho found two female specimens while conducting an environmental impact study following an oil spill on the beaches of Kenting National Park . "One was already dead while the other was about to die when we found them on the beach," explained the expert. "Fortunately the oil spill was not so serious, otherwise the crustaceans would have been completely covered with the substance and escaped from our sight."
After comparing the animals with data from about 10,000 known crab species, Ping-ho and his colleagues have concluded that it is a new species. "We will formally announce the discovery soon in the journal Crustaceana, " the researcher announced. Although its scientific name is not yet known, for now it has been nicknamed "Strawberry Crab" .
